Marist Celebrates National Poetry Month

Do you remember the moment something as small and simple as a poem changed your life in a big way? Maybe it happened when you were a child, as you sat on your mom's lap as she read to you from a picture book you still know by heart. Or maybe it happened just last week, when you had the worst day ever and -- wham! -- out of the blue, you recalled the poem you memorized back in high school because its words always gave you strength. Whatever the reason, it seems everyone has a favorite poem engraved in their memory: something simple and profound that we carry with us across careers, and across continents. As Marist celebrates National Poetry Month this April, we want to bring our community together in that inclusive spirit of poetry; I think everyone can agree that sometimes -- and usually when we least expect it -- a poem can be a very powerful thing.

Now in its second year, the Marist Poetry Project asks students, faculty, staff and alumni to share their favorite poems, along with the personal stories that make those poems so special. We've collected these inspiring reflections below; please come back throughout April as we reveal additional entries each week. New for 2017 are video submissions from some members of our campus community -- including senior Bernadette Hogan '17 and her trusty horse, Glory! Incredible!

As Chair of the English department and a writer myself, I'm happy to report that Marist enjoys a vibrant writing community on our campus along the breathtaking Hudson River. All Marist students can take a creative writing class for core credit, and our popular writing major and minor programs feature workshops in everything from fiction and poetry to travel writing and writing for video games. Outside the classroom, our amazing students show off their creativity at a variety of events like our innovative writing salons and of course, the (nearly) world-famous Red Fox Poetry Slam. If you like to write, Marist College is definitely a great place to be! If you're interested in finding out more about what's going on with writing on our campus today, click on the link below to our podcast series The Poetry Booth. Join us in our search for poetry each week in April on the Marist campus!

We hope these personal stories below will inspire you to join the conversation and share your own favorite poem with us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hastags #MaristPoetryProject and #NationalPoetryMonth. And please check out the complete list of Poetry Month events happening on the Marist campus, by visiting the Event Calendar here.

Thank you to all our participants who made the Marist Poetry Project 2017 such a success! Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Professor Tommy Zurhellen
Associate Professor of English

Throughout National Poetry Month, Professor Zurhellen will talk poetry and writing with members of the Marist community on “The Poetry Booth” podcast. On the first episode, Tommy and Executive Vice President Geoff Brackett discuss Dr. Brackett’s love of poetry as an undergraduate led him to his leadership role at the College. Later episodes will also be posted here. Come back each week in April for new selections from the Marist community.